The newsroom census, released Wednesday April 4, also shows that overall, the number of newsroom employees in general dropped 2.4 percent since the previous year, down from 41,600 to 40,600. Still, minorities suffered even more, with the number of minority newsroom workers down 5.7 percent, from 5,300 to 5,000. As Poynter pointed out, that means 1 in 3 newsroom job cuts meant a minority was affected.

"Clearly, we have more work to do," Ronnie Agnew, co-chair of ASNE's 2011-12 Diversity Committee, said in the statement. "While the numbers suggest stabilization, the trend shows that the exodus from this important industry among people of color continues. This is far from just a numbers issue; this is a troubling content issue. The decline will only stop when people in leadership embrace diversity as an essential part of their business."